The Haunted
by Agent R
Summary: (Follow-up of Count MacLeod) Strange happenings take place at Duncan's house, but he refuses to believe it, and all these events are taking place as his mourn for Tessa grows. Eventually, they come to question if there's a connection. Hope you enjoy, plea
1. Default Chapter

The Haunted  
  
Duncan swung the front door open and let everyone in, then he slammed it.  
  
"I don't believe it, the nerve of some people," Duncan said.  
  
"I've heard of great crank calls, but impersonating Amanda having us wait at the airport for 2 hours, that's just ridiculous," Amber said.  
  
"You sure we didn't just miss her?" Joe asked.  
  
"We checked every gate, and checked the lists of all the people on every flight, there was no Amanda on any of the flights that came in today," Richie said.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Duncan, there's something I have to say..."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I have to be honest with you about something...."  
  
Before Tessa could say anything, the bedroom door got kicked open, in came 3 men in black trench coats with guns and fired.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
Duncan shot up in bed and realized it was a dream, he turned over and faced the empty side of the bed, Tessa had been gone for 6 long years, there were times where he thought for a second that she was still alive, then he faced reality.  
  
Come 1:30, in came Amber, looking for him.  
  
"Hey Mac! Hey Mac, where are ya?"  
  
She heard (she figured) him blowing his nose in the bathroom.  
  
"For a minute, I thought it was an elephant playing a tuba.......Mac, are you allright?" Amber asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine...what're you doing in here?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Just out of curiosity, how far away are we from the swamp?" Amber asked.  
  
"Why? You going for a midnight swim?" Duncan laughed.  
  
"No, Mac, I woke up about 10 minutes ago and saw this purple stuff all over the room, I figured it might be swamp gas, so I thought I'd see what the odds are of it," Amber said.  
  
"Did you see it in any other room?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Nope, so tell me, how far away from the swamp are we?" Amber asked.  
  
"Exactly, I can't tell you, approximately, 40 miles," Duncan said.  
  
"That's too far for swamp gas to travel, you think maybe someone set off a smoke bomb?" Amber asked.  
  
"Why would they do that?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Well incase you haven't noticed, Joe ain't too fond of me," Amber said.  
  
"Amber, this is ridiculous, go back to bed," Duncan shoed her out.  
  
"Allright, but if I come back in an hour yelling 'brains', I'm holding you responsible," Amber said.  
  
"If you should be so lucky," Duncan replied.  
  
Duncan laughed it off for a while before he went back to sleep.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Hey Mac, I got a question about this place," Amber said the next morning.  
  
"What is it?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Did someone die here?" Amber asked.  
  
"At some point or another I'm sure, why?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Remember that swamp gas last night?" Amber asked.  
  
"Amber, don't get me started on that again," Duncan said.  
  
"Which reminds me, why were you up last night?" Amber asked.  
  
"Is it so unusual if I'm having trouble sleeping?" Duncan asked.  
  
"You? Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod? Hell yeah, there's plenty of times I come in your room in the middle of the night, you're sawing lumber by the truckload. I poke, pinch and pound ya, but you never do anything, half the time I wonder if you're even still alive," Amber said.  
  
Duncan must've been slipping, he never knew Amber came into his room before.  
  
"What were you doing in my room?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Like it's important? Anyway, I was thinking, if someone got murdered here..."  
  
"Amber, don't tell me you think the house is haunted," Duncan said.  
  
"It already is, by Joe Dawson and whatever the hell that moron's name is," Amber said.  
  
"Methos," Duncan said.  
  
"What about his alter ego, Adam Pierson the Watcher?" Amber asked.  
  
"Amber, there's something about Methos I think you should know," Duncan said.  
  
"He's not really a Watcher, he just poses as one, his own, that way no one can ever find him," Amber said.  
  
"How did you know that?" Duncan asked.  
  
"You don't go through 16 nightcaps in an hour with someone without finding out a thing or two about them," Amber replied.  
  
"16? boy, you sure can put them away," Duncan said, "I never knew you drink."  
  
"And I never knew you snored until the first time I went in your room at 2 in the morning," Amber said.  
  
Duncan didn't even want to go at it with her today, he was exhausted, after last night he got very little sleep after Amber left. And speaking of which, after she slammed the door on her way out, Methos came out of his room.  
  
"Well I'll say this much, I wouldn't be surprised if the place is haunted," he said.  
  
"You heard?" Duncan asked.  
  
"No, I'm a mutated fly, I just happened to be on the wall when you two were yammering, of course I heard!" Methos slapped him.  
  
"And you think she might have a point?" Duncan asked.  
  
"She had 14 blood marys last night, I'm surprised she was able to get her boots on today...It's not just since last night, maybe its us, or maybe it's just our rooms. Two days ago, I out cold drunk, when the bed broke, with me in it. The next thing I knew, I was taking the headboard out of my spine. Night before that, when I was in the shower, first the lights went out, then the water immediately went from burning hot to freezing cold, then I felt someone grab me," Methos said.  
  
"Should I guess where or are you going to tell me?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I wasn't blind and I could tell there was no one else in the bathroom, so how could something grab me? And if it is what use to be a person, I don't care what sex it used to be, it has hands like a lady's," Methos told him.  
  
"Oh boy, tell me something Methos, how many drinks did you have last night?" Duncan asked.  
  
"23, why?" Methos asked.  
  
"Methos.....go put a bag of ice on your head, keep a bucket near the bed and go back to sleep for 2 days and don't call me in the morning!" Duncan said.  
  
"Are you insinuating I'm drunk?" Methos asked.  
  
"I'm insinuating you don't have 23 drinks one night and remotely know what you're talking about the next day," Duncan said.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Richie, what're you doing?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Having a drink, do you mind?" Richie asked.  
  
"I swear, I only filled up the liquor cabinet 3 days ago, and you guys are going to clean it out before the week's up," Duncan said.  
  
"I don't know about you, but I had a hard night, I've got an excuse," Richie said.  
  
"Did you see Amber and Methos drinking?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Nope, I didn't see anything, for a while, I thought I was just passed out drunk, but, I'm guessing it was after you threw Amber out of your room..."  
  
"I didn't throw her out, I asked her to leave."  
  
"Well whatever, she came into my room, at I'm guessing around 3 o' clock, and I was already half asleep, and she started banging on this set of bongo drums, and she started yelling like Zed from Police Academy," Richie said.  
  
"Good, for a while I thought I was going crazy, then what?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I said 'what the hell you doing here?' and she said 'My room's currently occupied', and I said 'by who?' and she said 'Swamp mist'. So I figured, there's no sense with aruging with her tonight, so I let her stay, that was a mistake...I don't know what's gotten into her...Maybe she needs to see a psychiatrist, but it looks like the fearless punk I knew since I was 16 has turned into either an insomniac or a coward," Richie said.  
  
"Well, I don't think coward would be the right word.......could just be she was drunk."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Methos told me she had 14 bloody marys last night," Duncan said.  
  
"Wow....I didn't know she could put them away like that," Richie said.  
  
"You knew she drinks?"  
  
"A bit...so, let's just forget for a moment that she was probably knee-walking drunk last night and found a pretty damn good way to hide it. What would this purple gunk in her room be?" Richie asked.  
  
"I don't know, I think she was probably seeing things, if we weren't 40 miles from the swamp, she might have something..."  
  
"Her? Have something? That's a new one on me..."  
  
Duncan got a look at the boy and picked up the half empty beer can.  
  
"What're you doing?"  
  
"As long as we're going to be running around this house playing Dick Tracy, I want you sober for the remainder of this...First Amber complains to a swamp thing in her room, then Methos complains the bed broke with him in it, the shower ran out of hot water immediately, and someone grabbed him in the bathroom."  
  
Richie laughed at that last one, why anyone would be interested in a 5,000 year old man was beyond him, which gave Duncan the no-doubt fact that he was drunk.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Hey Methos!"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What's going on around here? Somebody die? Where's Mac?"  
  
"He's up in his room, Amber, he asked to be alone for a while."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"What? Can't a 400 year old man be entitled to privacy without someone demanding to know why?" Methos asked.  
  
"I was just wondering, I've never known him to lock himself in his room."  
  
"He locked himself in?"  
  
"Yep, and I found out the hard way, Joe stuck his whole hand in my mouth and threw me across the room like a bowling ball, and I hit the door."  
  
"Amber, I'm going to tell you something and do keep in mind it's with all due respect..."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"..........MOVE!"  
  
In all truthfulness, Methos was yelling at Amber like a drill sergeant because he promised Duncan he wouldn't have her come in his room. Duncan explained to Methos that he wished to be left alone for a few hours, Methos, often being a man of his word promised Duncan he wouldn't let anyone, especially Amber in.   
  
Everyone was familiar with the death of Tessa Noel, except Amber, Duncan hadn't told her, and he figured neither had Richie... There were some days where the fact of it didn't bother him so much, then there were days it hit him like a brick wall, and this was one of those days. He just stayed in his room looking at a picture of Tessa he had framed, it was one of the last pictures he'd gotten of her. He tried to imagine what she would look like if she was still alive, she probably wouldn't have changed that much, but he didn't care, she'd still be beautiful in his eyes...he just still couldn't believe that she was gone.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Hey Mac! I've been worried about you, you been sick?" Amber asked.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Your face is red, were you throwing up?" Amber asked.  
  
"No...I'm fine, what've you been up to?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Methos has been yelling at me like I'm in boot camp, giving me all sorts of orders," Amber said.  
  
Duncan went over to Methos, who looked half alive.  
  
"Methos, what've you had Amber doing?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I've been keeping her out of your room, that's what you wanted, isn't it?" Methos asked.  
  
"Yeah, but I didn't want you using her as a pack mule," Duncan replied.  
  
"It kept her out of your room, didn't it?" Methos asked.  
  
"Yes, but..."  
  
"Well then I've done my job," Methos said.  
  
Duncan didn't know what to say to him after that.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Where's Duncan? Don't tell me he locked himself in his room again," Amber said.  
  
"Yeah, today hasn't been too good a day for him," Joe answered.  
  
"What happened?" Amber asked.  
  
"Well he's, he's.....he's in mourning, Amber," Joe said.  
  
"For whom?" Amber asked.  
  
"Tessa Noel, she and Mac had known each other for 12 years, then one day, some junkie came up, shot she and Richie both... You know well enough how bad it is to lose someone, so you got anymore questions?" Joe asked.  
  
"Just one, does Duncan usually drink on nights like this?" Amber asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Joe asked.  
  
"I mean, Methos and I only went after the bloody marys and the beer in the liquor cabinet, the scotch, rum, gin, vodka and jack daniels' drinks are gone," Amber said.  
  
"Oh boy."  
  
Oh boy was right, Duncan was hitting the bottle hard tonight, in an attempt to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He had already downed 3 bottles of rum, as awful as it was, he didn't care, it was awful to him because it was only 3 days old, to him, good rum usually came around from about at least 2 months' wait. Duncan's vision became blurry, but that wasn't enough for him, he wasn't going to stop until he totally blacked out.  
  
Come a few hours later, Duncan was almost completely out of it, he couldn't see straight, he couldn't think, he couldn't even remember how many bottles of what he drank. In the back of his mind, he was just hoping that this time, he would slip through his Immortality and die for good, and at that exact time, he completely blacked out...  
  
End of chapter one. 


	2. The Haunted Pt II

The Haunted Pt II  
  
Duncan woke up despite the pain of the blinding sunlight in his eyes, he looked around and fell out of bed, he hit the floor face first. He looked up and realized that the cover of his bed was gone, there was just the sheets and pillows. Then it hit Duncan all the bottles he had in his room last night were missing, Duncan tried getting up and got stuck on his head, but being upside-down didn't stop him from noticing that the collection of cans and bottles he'd rounded up under his bed were missing as well.  
  
"Someone came in here while I was drunk, stole my bed cover and scotch bottles? I must still be drunk," Duncan said to himself.  
  
It was then that Duncan realized that his clothes were different as well, this was becoming a little too familiar. He checked to make sure he was still wearing the same underwear, fortunately, he was. So he wasn't so sure he could pin Amber for this one, normally she'd do it all the way when changing his clothes while he was out cold.  
  
"I don't believe this," Duncan sighed.  
  
Duncan backed up to the door and fell out of the room when it swung open, he fell face first onto the floor again. The next thing he saw was the toes of someone's boots, his eyes went up the side of his face and saw another ugly face.  
  
"Well, I'd say you're looking rather awful this morning, but considering how much you drank the night before," Methos said.  
  
"Very funny Methos," Duncan grumbled.  
  
"Don't get your boxers in a knot."  
  
Methos grabbed Duncan by the arms and helped him up.  
  
"How did you know how much I drank last night?" Duncan asked.  
  
"It says how much goes in each bottle and I do know how to do math," Methos said.  
  
"You took the bottles out of my room?" Duncan asked.  
  
"No, Amber did," Methos replied.  
  
"Amber did......Amber? When did she come in my room?" Duncan asked.  
  
"About 4 o' clock this morning, she found you passed out drunk on the bed, so she did what anyone would do, I'm guessing, she put the cover in the wash, changed your clothes..."  
  
"What did she do with the bottles?" Duncan asked.  
  
Methos took Duncan down to the kitchen.  
  
"Look," he pointed.  
  
Duncan saw all the bottles washed out, clean, polished and stacked in a box.  
  
"What the?"  
  
"She figured maybe you were collecting them like trophies so she brought them down here, washed them out, cleaned them, and you figure the rest," Methos said.  
  
Duncan sat down at the kitchen table as Joe looked up from the paper.  
  
"Hey! Look who's alive today!" he laughed.  
  
"Not so loud, Joe, I have a horrible headache," Duncan said.  
  
"I'm not surprised, you downed a good.......542 fl. oz of alcohol last night, not counting the cans and bottles she found under your bed," Joe said.  
  
"What in the hell was Amber doing up at 4 in the morning anyway?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Up?" Methos asked, "I don't think she ever went to sleep."  
  
"Where is she?" Duncan asked.  
  
Joe pointed to the front door, Duncan went out and found Amber about 15 feet down the property from the house with a broom. The whole property that went down for about a mile was nothing but dirt, so he couldnt' wait to hear this one.  
  
"Amber, what do you think you're doing?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Just sweeping off the sidewalk," Amber replied.  
  
"And I thought I was drunk, there isn't any sidewalk!" Duncan told her.  
  
"There isn't? That's good, I've been sweeping it for the last 3 blocks," Amber said.  
  
Duncan looked down the property, he could tell where Amber had been sweeping, because the dirt was mounted up onto more dirt.  
  
"Amber.....there's something the matter here," Duncan said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yesterday, there were leaves all over this yard, where are they?" Duncan asked.  
  
"The neighbor Big Wind came up and blew them away, what do you think? They're over there in a pile," Amber pointed.  
  
"When did you do that?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Earlier, after I mopped the floors, painted the gates, polished your bottles, got rid of the ring and orange beetle in the bathtub, threw your alcohol stained clothes in the wash, trimmed the hedges, cleaned the oven, polished Richie's boots, fixed the leak in the bathroom faucet, washed the windows, took out the garbage, rearranged your...blah....classical CDs, painted the bird in the cuckoo clock, washed and waxed the car, made a pizza, took apart the phone, got rid of the bird's nest up in the oak tree, reshingled the roof, and went down to the store and refilled your liquor cabinet," Amber said.  
  
For a minute, Duncan didn't know what to say, it sounded like either Amber had turned into a work-a-holic, or she was on Speed.  
  
"And you've done that, all since 4 AM?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Yep," Amber replied.  
  
"Amber......what time did you....find me like I was?" Duncan asked.  
  
"About 3:30, I was wondering why you were still up, so I went in and found you were out cold on the bed, and surprisingly enough, I soon found out you weren't just out cold," Amber said.  
  
"Oh..."  
  
Duncan didn't know what to think, he knew he was pretty awful last night, but he didn't think he'd actually done it till he died.  
  
"First thing I figured was you were asleep, so I introduced my presence, then when I realized you didn't answer, I figured you passed out from drinking, so I figured I better do the math on how much you had to drink, and when I rounded up the total, I checked for a fine mess of something on your breath, but, no breath," Amber said, "at first I didn't know what to think, but then I figured, this is life for the Immortals, so as far as I'm concerned, they can do it till they drop, again and again. And then I figured, he's not going to like it if come morning, he wakes up and rolls over on a scotch bottle, so I rounded them up and cleaned them."  
  
"Still, you didn't have to do any of that," Duncan said.  
  
"I didn't mind, I just felt like doing a friend a favor, but then I realized, I can't put the bottles away and leave you a mess, so I moved you to the trunk, took the cover off the bed, then changed you," Amber said, "and before you make a big deal of that, keep in mind that I left your boxers the same."  
  
"And don't think I'm not grateful for that," Duncan said, "but why in the world did you do any of that in the first place?"  
  
"Well, first of all, Joe told me about Tessa and how you were still in mourning after all these years, and he told me you'd probably hit the bottle haaard that night...So I waited until I figured you were finished drinking and went in..."  
  
"Because..."  
  
"Because, it's back," Amber said.  
  
"What?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Duncan, I don't know what it is, but all I know is that purple mist, whatever it is, it came back last night, and just in my room, it didn't go anywhere else in the house," Amber told him.  
  
"And that's why you've been up all night?" Duncan asked.  
  
"That...and after you cleaned out the liquor cabinet, I downed a 24-pack of carbonated drinks and couldn't sleep," Amber said.  
  
"Amber..........what in the hell am I going to do with you?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Never mind me, you need to call a priest for that house," Amber said.  
  
"Amber, this is ridiculous, there's nothing going on in the house," Duncan told her.  
  
"Boy, you were dead....Duncan, last night, after I left my room, I went down to the den, where that giant bookcase is, the whole thing came down, just inches from where I was standing," Amber said.  
  
"Amber, that house is over a hundred years old, things are bound to fall apart sooner or later," Duncan said.  
  
"But it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't in the room," Amber protested.  
  
"That's ridiculous, it would've happened just the same if you weren't in the den," Duncan said.  
  
"If you don't believe me, ask Richie, he saw it," Amber said.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"I hate to say it Mac, but she's right, when we went in there, the case was perfectly still, but when she walked in past the doorway, the metal hooks in the back started bending, and before you knew it, boom!" Richie said.  
  
"Richie, surely you don't think she's got a point on the house being haunted, do you?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I did at first, but not anymore, at first it was just slightly abnormal things happening, but the idea of some purple mist trying to get her, Mac, I hate to tell you this, but you were not the only one drinking last night," Richie asid.  
  
"Yeah I know, Amber told me she drank a cube of soda...Richie, have you really seen anything strange around here?"  
  
"If you mean stranger than what could just be an old house starting to fall apart, no, not really," Richie replied.  
  
"That's what I thought," Duncan said.  
  
"Who knows? Maybe the house just doesn't like Amber," Richie thought.  
  
"Well, either she and Methos are more in sync than we thought, or the house hates him too, he's complaining again about strange things happening in his room as well," Duncan said.  
  
"Methos can put away a keg of beer a day, he's an understandable case, what about Amber? She's been up all night, she's practically covered all work that needs to be done in the house, and she still insists on there being something going on around here," Richie pointed out.  
  
"I think the fact she's been up all night is getting to her, I suggest tonight, we put her under a very heavy sedation," Duncan said.  
  
"Where're we going to get that?" Richie asked.  
  
"Well, if you do recall, Methos has studied in medicine, law, psychiatry, physics, and all that sort, so I'm sure he has a few barbituates around here somewhere," Duncan said.  
  
"Well, we better find them soon, because we have to get some rest from all this nonsense," Richie said.  
  
"For once, I agree," Duncan said.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Hey Duncan, do you mind if I ask you a question?"  
  
"What is it, Amber?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I was just wondering, if you're still in mourning about Tessa, why're you doing it alone? Incase you forgot, you're not the only one who's lost someone," Amber said.  
  
"I'm sorry, Amber, I just figured I shouldn't get you wrapped up in this as well," Duncan said.  
  
"Why not? Look, I know how it is, there are days when the fact that someone's gone doesn't bother you as much, and then there are days it hits you like a brick wall while going at 90 miles an hour," Amber replied.  
  
"I know......look, Amber, you never met Tessa, so I wouldn't expect you to understand what I'm going through."  
  
"What's not to understand? You lose someone you love, you feel like you lost a part of yourself, and spend the rest of your life remembering them......I've had 4 years of experience, how bout you?"  
  
"Six years, going on seven."  
  
"You win......seriously Mac, if you're going to be doing that again tonight, I wouldn't recommend doing it alone, you wanna end up like you did again?" Amber asked.  
  
"I guess not....I prefer dressing myself....but really Amber, I don't think this is something you want to be a part of," Duncan said.  
  
"Try me," Amber replied, "besides, you may be 391 years older than me, but one thing I know for sure is sometimes when you want to be alone the most, it's really when you hate it the most," Amber said.  
  
"I suppose you have a point, but I don't know."  
  
"Come on, Mac, what's the worst that could happen?" Amber asked.  
  
End of chapter 2... 


	3. The Haunted Pt III

The Haunted Pt III  
  
"Duncan............Duncan.........."  
  
Duncan slowly got up, the voice seemed to flow across the room, it sounded too familiar.  
  
"But it can't be," Duncan realized.  
  
He'd heard Tessa calling him, he was at it again with his dreams, only this time, her calling echoed after he woke up. It was then that Duncan realized he actually made it through the night in a somewhat peaceful manner. 5:00 AM, well, he didn't see any point in going back to sleep, so he turned on the light and started to act alive. He turned around and froze...  
  
Amber was on the other side of the bed out cold, if not dead, she had blood all over her, and Duncan got a good once-over of himself and realized he was clean, which only meant one thing.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Richie, what in the hell happened last night?" Duncan asked.  
  
"You really want to know? I'll tell you.......you happened last night," Richie answered.  
  
"What?" Duncan asked.  
  
"You told Amber to leave and when she didn't, you went all out on her, you punched her, striked her, threw her against the wall, choked her," Richie explained.  
  
"But the blood's still fresh, Rich..........Oh God, how could I do that to her?"  
  
"That's what I'd like to know...Amber stayed, offered to help, and you went and did this."  
  
"I don't remember anything, was I drinking last night?"  
  
"No, if you were, this would probably make some sense."  
  
"Oh God, I can't believe this," Duncan said.  
  
It was then that they heard Amber slightly groaning, Duncan went over to the bed and picked her head up off the pillow.  
  
"Amber, look at me...say something."  
  
"Duncan.....I got a question for you.........did Connor teach you how to hit like that?"  
  
With the words leaving her mouth, Amber passed out again.  
  
"I don't believe this, how could I have done this?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Maybe it's just me, but I think you're still upset by the fact that you weren't able to help Tessa, but instead of expressing it like anyone else, you're taking it out on Amber," Richie thought.  
  
"I told her she shouldn't stay with me last night, but she didn't listen......wait a minute, if you knew I did this last night, why didn't you move her to another room?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I did, but she's just like the living dead, I put her in my room, she didn't do anything, I turn around for one minute, she's gone and back in your room. And I figured, you're already passed out and she's obviously going to keep this up all night, so I just let her stay," Richie said.  
  
"I don't believe this.......why can't I remember any of this?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I don't know," Richie said.  
  
"Wait a minute, there's something else, how did she know about Connor?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Huh?" Richie asked.  
  
"She asked about Connor, how did she know about him? Did you tell her?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Does it matter? Everyone in this house knows you know Connor," Richie said.  
  
"It doesn't matter Richie, I'm just asking, did you tell her?" Duncan asked.  
  
"No, I swear," Richie denied.  
  
"I don't get it, what is coming over me? How could I do that to her, and not remember, without drinking? Or how about why in the first place?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I don't know......it's strange, the whole time, I expected Amber to do something, but she never did, she never said anything, she never cried, almost as if she lost all human emotion."  
  
"Richie, if you knew I was doing this, why didn't you try and stop me?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I did, I'm surprised you didn't kill me, you threw me against the wall, knocked just about every part of me loose, threw me on the floor, and tossed me out of the window," Richie said.  
  
"And what happened to you? You should have some marks on your body," Duncan realized.  
  
"I do," Richie replied.  
  
Richie removed his jacket and his shirt, he had bruises, cuts, scrapes, scratches and gashes all over his stomach, chest, ribs, back and arms.  
  
"God, Rich, I'm sorry...If I could remember........"  
  
Duncan didn't know what to say, there was nothing he could say, he had absolutely no recollecton of any of it, it was almost like he wasn't even himself anymore.  
  
"Compared to being beheaded, this wasn't anything, but I don't think Amber will agree with me when she comes to," Richie said.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
It took about an hour, but when Amber came through, she had company.  
  
"Richie, what're you doing here? Where's Duncan? And why am I clean? Last night I looked like one of Jack the Ripper's victims.....I should know.....I saw the morgue pictures.....so what's going on?" Amber asked.  
  
"Mac's out on a run, I told him what happened, he couldn't remember any of it, how are you?" Richie asked.  
  
"Fine until I woke up, what happened to the blood?" Amber asked.  
  
"That was me...Amber, there's something I have to know, why in the hell didn't you say anything last night? After what Mac did to you?" Richie asked.  
  
"I thought maybe I brought on part of it, I did have a couple of drinks shortly before the fight started," Amber said.  
  
"Amber, I've seen you drink, you never get drunk...why didn't you say anything?" Richie asked.  
  
Amber didn't answer Richie, she just sat on the bed with her head down, after a while, she looked up at him, Richie knew the reason she was so quiet was because she was crying.  
  
"Because I didn't want to make it any worse than it already was..........Duncan had a flaring temper last night, if I had said anything, what do you think he would've done?"  
  
Richie didn't have to guess, he knew what Duncan would have done, he was pretty much the living proof.  
  
"......Richie........what's gotten into him?" Amber asked in a low whisper.  
  
Richie sat on the bed and held Amber in his arms.  
  
"I don't know, I just don't know..."  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
When Duncan returned from his run, he went in the kitchen and found Methos raiding the liquor cabinet again, Duncan couldn't help but notice the house was quiet.  
  
"Where's Amber?" he asked.  
  
"With Richie..."  
  
After that, Methos went back to his wine.  
  
"And where is Richie?" Duncan asked.  
  
"In the attic, hiding from you," Methos replied.  
  
"Damn it Methos, I just can't figure it out, how could I have beaten the crap out of those two and not even remember it?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Hard to say, it was going on 1 in the morning and you were a sensible sober fellow," Methos said.  
  
"Wait a minute, you heard it?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I didn't have to, Richie told me all about it this morning," Methos replied.  
  
"I just don't get it, how could this have happened?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Honestly, I have no idea, from what Amber told me, it was like it was someone else in your body," Methos said.  
  
"She told you that this morning too?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Well, for a man who doesn't remember trying to kill his friends, you're on the ball today," Methos told him.  
  
"Just like you to make a joke when something as serious as this has taken place," Duncan said.  
  
"What serious? They're Immortals, just like us, they die, they come back, that's how it works," Methos said.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
Duncan headed up to the attic to see if Richie and Amber were still there, he just couldn't figure out how he could be doing these things and not remembering them.  
  
When he reached the attic, he found them, Richie seemed to be more together at the moment than Amber was, she was laid out on the bed and seemed to asleep.  
  
"How is she?"  
  
"Doing better."  
  
"And you?"  
  
"I've been better but I'm fine."  
  
"Look Richie..."  
  
"Mac, forget it, it's obvious you don't remember trying to kill us, why I don't know, but there's no use in carrying on in this," Richie said.  
  
"And Amber?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I'm worried about her," Richie said.  
  
Duncan looked over Richie's shoulder, Amber was siting on the bed, awake.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Duncan asked.  
  
"You might want to take a look," Richie said.  
  
Duncan headed over to Amber, right away he knew something was wrong because she was quiet, he noticed she seemed to be trying to hide her arms. Duncan grabbed her hands and rolled up her sleeves, she'd been biting herself until she bled, when he looked up, he also noticed drips of blood on the sides of her mouth.  
  
"Oh!"  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"You know, I hate to say it Methos, but I think Amber might be losing her mind," Duncan said.  
  
"Well, that's always a safe bet in her case," Methos said.  
  
"Methos, I'm serious, I wasn't sure what to think at first, other than it seemed to me that she'd been biting herself, and then drinking the blood...why would she do that?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Hard to say," Methos said, "I'll go have a look at the patient and see what I can come up with....if her case is as bad as you say, I might just have to use a tranquilizer."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Richie told me you were looking to.....put her under for some reason, although at first I didn't really know why," Methos said.  
  
"That reminds me, I won't be here tonight," Duncan brought up.  
  
"And why is that?" Methos asked.  
  
"I have a friend in town I have to see, he only comes around here every so often so I catch him when I drop in," Duncan said.  
  
"Right, and around what time should we expect you back?" Methos asked.  
  
"Sometime after midnight.......he's an insomniac," Duncan told him.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
As Methos was looking over Amber to make sure she hadn't brought on any more self-inflicted injuries, he figured this would be the best time to give her the tranquilizer, however he knew she wouldn't go for it so.....  
  
"I don't get it," Amber said, "why do you have to examine my back?"  
  
"Are you kidding? All the things you're capable of doing to yourself......uh-huh."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, your back is hard in some places back here."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"That means," Methos lied, as he reached for the needle, "your nerves are tightening up....so I'm going to give you something that'll relax them, loosen them up....this might sting for a second, so....."  
  
"After tonight, nothing can get to me," Amber moaned.  
  
Although she dug her nails into the bed when he injected it.  
  
"Methos..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What's going on in this house?" Amber asked.  
  
"I don't know, Amber......I don't know, maybe the house doesn't like us, maybe we're cursed, maybe we're going crazy...but we're going to get to the bottom of this, something has to happen," Methos said.  
  
Within a few minutes, Amber fell asleep.  
  
"How long will she be out?" Richie asked.  
  
"About 4 hours, not exactly the best I've got, but I don't think she calls for drastic measures," Methos told him.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
Richie heard something coming from Amber's room, he got up and checked the clock, 11:00, it was too soon for the tranquilizer to wear off, so he decided to see what was going on. Richie froze in his tracks as he saw a purple mass surrounding the room.  
  
"Oh my God, Amber, you were right."  
  
Richie barely got the words out, and when he did, it was no more than above a whisper.  
  
Turned out that Amber's suspicions were right, but now what were they going to do?  
  
End of chapter 3 


	4. The Haunted Pt IV

The Haunted Pt IV  
  
Going on 1 in the morning, Duncan got back to the house and was in for a surprise, he found the house empty. Everyone was gone....He couldn't figure what could've happened or where they could've gone, when he went into Richie's room, he found a note on the bed, explaining they were staying the night in a hotel only a couple of miles away.  
  
So, before he knew it, Duncan headed to the Blue Wolf Hotel, looked up the room they were staying in and went up.  
  
"Mac, you got the note?" Richie asked.  
  
"Yeah I got your note, what's going on? Why'd you come down here?" Duncan asked.  
  
"That's a long story, and quite frankly, I'm not in the mood to explain tonight," Methos said.  
  
"I suppose you're staying in the same room also, huh?" Duncan asked.  
  
"No, we're staying in the next room over, we just figured we'd stay here until you came by," Joe said.  
  
"Well, it's 1:13 in the morning, I'm going to bed," Methos got up.  
  
"Richie, what's going on?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Amber was right.........there's something going on in the house, we couldn't stay there," Richie said.  
  
"What?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I went in her room, there was this purple stuff everywhere, just like she said, and it was calling someone.......we couldn't stay and I couldn't leave her so I grabbed her and we came over here," Richie said.  
  
"And how'd you explain her condition?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I told the clerk she'd been on her feet for 36 hours with no rest and finally conked out.....he bought it," Richie said.  
  
"So, did you find out anything about this stuff?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Actually........yes," Richie said.  
  
"And?" Duncan asked.  
  
Richie looked up at him, he looked on the verge of hysteria.  
  
"It was Tessa, Mac."  
  
"What?" Duncan asked.  
  
"The thing in her room, it had these 2 glowing red eyes, and they looked at me the same way she always looked at me....I just knew it was her," Richie told him.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"So let me get this straight, Tessa's come back from the dead for some reason, and has been causing all this stuff at the house, which might include why I attacked you 2 last night....and for what reason, exactly?" Duncan asked.  
  
"That's the part I don't know, maybe she felt threatened by someone....or maybe she was trying to tell you something," Richie said.  
  
"But what could she try to tell me?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I don't know, that's the only thing, I don't know," Richie replied.  
  
It was at that point that Amber started coming around from the tranquilizer.  
  
"What's going on? Who died?"  
  
"Amber........there's something I think you should know," Richie said.  
  
"Okay, tell me.....no wait! Let me get my shoe first, then you can tell me," Amber said.  
  
"Amber! You were right about the house," Richie muttered.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You were right," he said in a firmer voice, "there is something in the house."  
  
"I told you! What is it?" Amber asked.  
  
"Tessa," Duncan told her.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's Tessa, Amber, for some reason, she's doing all this, why, we don't know," Duncan said.  
  
"Oh boy.........what time is it?" Amber asked.  
  
1:30, you were out of it for a while," Richie said.  
  
"Yeah, apparently Methos knows his tranqulizers," Amber said.  
  
"Oh God, Amber, I'm sorry about that."  
  
"Why, Mac? You didn't give it to me, Methos did," Amber said.  
  
"Yeah, I know," Duncan replied, "but I told him to do it because I thought you were going crazy about everything at the house...God.....I'm sorry, how could I have been so stupid?"  
  
"You're 407 years old, it's bound to happen," Amber said.  
  
"So Mac, since there's no sense in going back to the house tonight..."  
  
"Oh no, I am NOT staying here with you 2," Duncan said.  
  
"Why not? We both sleep fully clothed," Amber told him.  
  
"Yeah, I know, but that's not the reason why," Duncan said, "I can't stay in the same room with you 2, it'd be too crowded, we'd all be sleeping on top of each other."  
  
"As long you wear underwear, that doesn't bother me," Amber said, "besides, we won't all have to cram into the same beds, you can take the one over there, and Richie and me will take this one here."  
  
"Richie and I," Duncan correceted her English.  
  
"Fine, but either way, he's bunking with one of us," Amber said.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
While Duncan took a shower before bed (he might be 407 and from Scotland, but he's only a part time slob), Richie and Amber started discussing a few unusual things.  
  
"So.....how many times you been killed?" Richie asked.  
  
"Four.....you?" Amber returned.  
  
"Lost count........you ever get ticked off when you revive?" Richie asked.  
  
"Depends, am I ticked off because I died, of how I died, or because the fool I'm fighting got away?" Amber asked.  
  
"How you died," Richie replied.  
  
"Not really, you?" Amber asked.  
  
"Sometimes, I remember one time, this moron, lured me into an old mental institution and drowned me in a crooked bathtub," Richie said.  
  
"That's not so weird," Amber said.  
  
"The same way and tub a nurse got drowned in, in '33," Richie said.  
  
"Now that's weird," Amber added.  
  
"And this other time, some drunk choked me to death with a phone cord," Richie added.  
  
"Probably saw Halloween," Amber said, "and those irritate you?"  
  
"Not really, the stuff that irritates me is when someone blows me up, throws me downhill, rams my head up against the bars," Richie told her.  
  
"In prison?" Amber asked.  
  
"No, in the NAMBLA, OF COURSE PRISON!" Richie exclaimed.  
  
"Well for me, a way that would tick me off to die, would be if I got into a fight with someone outside during a storm, or at an electric company, and I got electrocuted........the blood would rush and come out my ears and mouth, my eyes would probably fall out, my skull would be pounding, that's pretty much what I already get during a Quickening," Amber replied, "and if you ask me how many of those, you're going to be my next."  
  
"Allright you too, let's try and get some sleep, we have to check out of here tomorrow and get back to the house," Duncan came out of the bathroom in a robe and towel.  
  
"Allright, I'm beat," Richie said.  
  
Richie jumped over to the other side of the bed to set the clock, Amber jumped into bed, it was then that Duncan realized she was still wearing a pair of beat up old sneakers.  
  
"You going to bed with your shoes on?" Duncan asked.  
  
"You know I can't run well in bare feet, besides, if Tessa comes over here, I'm running for the hills."  
  
It just hit Amber that that wasn't the smartest thing to say.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mac, I know she meant a lot to you, but obviously she must not like me otherwise..."  
  
"I understand," Duncan said.  
  
"Me too, if you dad were to come up here, odds are he wouldn't like me and I'd be getting myself the heck out of here as well," Richie laughed.  
  
"Well, I'll say my father would be less than pleased if he were alive and thought we were going together," Amber replied.  
  
"Allright you two, goodnight," Duncan shut off the lights.  
  
"Goodnight!"  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
And come morning, they got out of there and back to the house.  
  
"Hey Mac, you mind if I ask you a question," Amber said.  
  
"What is it?" Duncan asked.  
  
"You think Tessa's mad at one of us?" Amber asked.  
  
"What?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Just a thought, I was thinking, since she's probably responsible for everything that's been going on in this house, it's probably safe to assume she's not happy with someone around here," Amber said.  
  
"Well now wait a minute, Amber, if you think that she's mad at you, you're wrong, maybe she IS upset with someone but it can't be with you, she never even met you, she's got no reason to be mad at you.....If she were going to be mad at someone, it would probably have to be Ama.......uhoh."  
  
"The phone call from the airport, they said that Amanda came in and she hadn't even gotten on the plane.....that must've been Tessa," Amber said.  
  
"I'm afraid you're right, but for what purpose?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I don't know," Amber replied, "tell me, when Tessa was alive, was she......."  
  
"Hardly, most of the time I could read her like a book, unfortunately, she was the same with me, why she's making such a mystery of this all of a sudden is beyond me," Duncan said.  
  
"Like I said, maybe she's mad at someone," Amber said.  
  
Duncan could tell that she was pinning that thought at herself, Richie told him that she was always likely to take the blame for something, sometimes even if she wasn't even somewhat responsible.  
  
"Amber, I think you might be right at this, I think she might be upset with someone, but I think you're wrong on the other half, I don't think she's mad at you, maybe she's mad at me, maybe she's doing this because I didn't introduce you to her when we first met," Ducnan said.  
  
"Huh?" Amber asked.  
  
Duncan meant he never took her back to Tessa's grave and introduced his new 'friend', perhaps she was getting back at him for never mentioning Amber to her.  
  
"I don't know, maybe all my years of traveling across the country and enlisting in endless battles is finally getting to me, maybe I'm losing my mind," Duncan said.  
  
"Well you've lost something, apparently," Amber told him.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Methos, can I ask you a question?"   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"What's wrong with Duncan?" Amber asked.  
  
"How do you mean?"  
  
"I know he still mourns for Tessa, but he's practically shut Richie and me out of his life, it's crazy," Amber told him.  
  
"Yes, I've noticed that," Methos said, "he has attendance to be that way."  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Amber asked.  
  
"Well, listen, I've known him a little longer than you have, so I know there's nothing wrong with Duncan that can't be fixed. You just hang in there, he'll be back to normal soon," Methos assured her.  
  
"How can you be sure?" Amber asked.  
  
"Look Amber, we all know what it's like to mourn someone, Duncan's been mourning her for years, and I wasn't going to bring this up and he'd never admit it, but you do have somewhat of a resemblance to her, and that can't be too good on him either...That doesn't mean that this is your fault and it's not Duncan's, he'll be back to normal soon, it's just a matter of time," Methos told her.  
  
"How come he never mentioned her to me?" Amber asked, "I've seen pictures of Amanda, but never any of her."  
  
"He didn't want to tell you, he didn't think you ought to know, there are certain things men dont' talk about until the 20th acquaintance with someone, this is apparently one of them," Methos told her.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"Hey Richie, do you mind if I stay with you tonight?" Amber asked.  
  
"Oh no! You're not going to keep me up all night with your endless yacking again, are you?" Richie asked.  
  
"No, tonight I want to get some sleep, and I don't want Tessa getting me up in the middle of the night," Amber said.  
  
"Why don't you stay with Methos?" Richie asked.  
  
"Methos is having enough trouble already, Tessa let some termites into his bed and.......well you know," Amber said.  
  
"Allright, get into bed," Richie told her.  
  
"Richie."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Say you got killed."  
  
"Boy Amber, you really know how to make conversation, don't you?" Richie asked.  
  
"Say you got killed, and 7 years later, you came back and started haunting me and everyone else in the house, what's your reason?" Amber asked.  
  
"Let's see, I'm Immortal, meaning if I got killed and stayed dead for that long, I'd obviously be beheaded, so...would you be the one to take my head? That's reason enough for me to come back," Richie said.  
  
"Richie!" Amber sat up, "I'm trying to figure out what's Tessa's problem, why do you think she's doing this all of a sudden?"  
  
"I have no idea, Amber, can we try and get some sleep?"  
  
Richie turned off the light and started pounding his pillow to even it out, Amber turned the lights back on.  
  
"Apparently not," Richie said.  
  
"I'm just trying to figure this whole thing out, maybe she's mad at me for coming here, into Duncan's life, into yours too," Amber told him.  
  
"Amber, that is ridiculous, now will you just shut up and go to bed?" Richie asked.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"It's quiet," Methos realized.  
  
"Yeah, too quiet, I don't know what's going on here," Duncan said, "it seems that ever since Tessa came back, something left Amber, she's not her usual annoying self."  
  
"I wouldn't know, I've been around you for so long, I've forgotten what's annoying and what's acceptable," Methos replied.  
  
"Thanks a lot," Duncan said.  
  
"Allright, allright, I've studied psychiatry long enough to know a problem when I see it, what's going on?" Methos asked.  
  
"Maybe Amber's just getting to me, but what if she has a point? What if Tessa's doing all this because she's mad at someone?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Hard to say, you've had her on your mind a lot lately, maybe she came back to tell you something," Methos said.  
  
"What could she say that could explain this?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I do know this much....as long as you have her on your mind, you shouldn't be closing out the people around you, right now, they're all you've got," Methos told him.  
  
"You know, I hate to say it, but I think you're right," Duncan realized.  
  
Duncan headed upstairs to speak with Richie and Amber, he had a lot of explaining to do, he just hoped he could explain most of it.  
  
End of chapter 4 


	5. The Haunted Pt V

The Haunted Pt V  
  
As Duncan got to the second floor, he could tell there was something the matter, he couldn't sense Richie or Amber, and when he saw Amber wasn't in her room, he knew there was only one other sensible place to look. When he opened Richie's door, he was in shock when he saw their bodies on the floor, with blood coming out of their ears and mouths, like they had been electrocuted. That was when Duncan realized that the marks on Amber's arms weren't from biting herself, they were cuts, she must've been drinking the blood, he figured. But Amber wouldn't cut herself, something else had to have done it, and he knew there was only one thing to think.  
  
"Oh my God, Tessa..."  
  
"Duncan."  
  
Duncan turned around and saw a pale figure of Tessa standing behind him.  
  
"Tessa, how could you do this?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I?" Tessa asked, "I had very little to do with any of this, all of this you brought upon yourself."  
  
"Me? Tessa, how did I bring this upon myself? I didn't ask for this to happen to them," Duncan told her.  
  
"You were shutting them out of your lives, you only had one thing on your mind," Tessa told him.  
  
"Yes......Tessa...I miss you, every day I can't help but think of you, always wondering, if there was something I could've done to save you and spare your life," Duncan said.  
  
"Duncan, my time came, no one knew it was coming, no one saw it coming, but it was my time."  
  
"Tessa, it was hard enough having to let you go, now you've come back like this and you're....."  
  
Duncan couldn't say it, he wanted to tell Tesas what had gone on in the last few days made everyone's lives a living hell, but he couldn't.  
  
"Tessa, there are a lot of things I would like to say, but I can't, I already lost you in life, I don't want your spirit to leave me entirely," Duncan said.  
  
"Duncan, in the last few days, there has been a heavy burden on your mind, I know what it is," Tessa said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You've been thinking about Amanda, and you've been wondering what to tell her when she arrives," Tessa said.  
  
"Lately, I've had a lot on my mind, namely you 2, I just keep thinking, you're on my mind so much and I'm expecting her any day, maybe there would be a problem if I saw her again," Duncan said.  
  
"Duncan, no one I know holds on to 1 lover their entire lifetime," Tessa told him, "you are no exception, so why are you holding onto me all of a sudden?"  
  
"Tessa, there are times when the fact that you're gone drive me crazy, I just want to rip my hair out and start screaming. There are many a times, I just can't believe you'er gone," Duncan said.  
  
"Duncan, what're you saving yourself for? I'm dead, I have no say in what you do, but I want you to realize it's time to say goodbye," Tessa said.  
  
"But I can't Tess, I just can't," Duncan said.  
  
"I'm not asking you to permanently block me from your mind, but you can't close out everyone who tries to help," Tessa told him.  
  
"Amber, what happened to her? She tried to help and I almost killed her, but I can't remember," Duncan said.  
  
"It wasn't you Duncan," Tessa said.  
  
"Tessa, I almost killed her and Richie both, I can't remember it, but I must've, there's no other explanation," Duncan told her.  
  
"There is, Duncan, not every spirit who passes by is as peaceful as I. A few have scurried up to Earth from Hell in making people miserable," Tessa said.  
  
"What are you saying? That some red figure with horns and a pitchfork beat the daylights out of them?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Although you're off on image details, somewhere along there, yes. It was your hands that did it, but not your being, which is why you don't remember," Tessa said.  
  
"Tessa, look at them, what happened to them now?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Meerly idle hands of the same creatures, they did this," Tessa said.  
  
"Tessa, how am I going to explain that it wasn't me who tried to kill them?" Duncan asked.  
  
"They'll know, Duncan.....that's not important right now," Tessa told him.  
  
"But why are they doing this?" Duncan asked.  
  
"They're doing this for 2 reasons, one they can find no peace or rest in hell and seek torture on others, and to show you what you're losing by shutting them out of your life by mourning for me," Tesas said.  
  
"Tessa, what's going on?" Duncan asked.  
  
"It's all a sign, when you started mourning for me, you started closing everyone else out of your life, namely these two. You have to realize who is important to you in life as well as death," Tessa said.  
  
"Tessa, you were and are important to me, you were my family," Duncan said.  
  
"Don't you worry about me, I'm going to be fine, right now, you have another family to take care of, a new family, you take care of them, and they'll look after you," Tessa told him.  
  
"I know."  
  
"And I'm also very upset with you right now, Duncan, you never introduced me to Amber, just for that, I might have to come by another time and see if I can slap you for it," Tessa said.  
  
Duncan knew that Tessa's joke was going to be followed by the end of her visit, so he knew he had to ask.  
  
"Will I ever see you again?"   
  
"Soon enough, I'll come back around before you know it, only that time, it'll be in the flesh, goodbye Duncan MacLeod," Tessa said.  
  
Tessa left, a sudden cold air filled the room, Duncan turned around when he heard Richie and Amber trying to move, they were still pretty out of it, so he figured they might be shocked when they first looked around at their surroundings. Duncan got on the floor in between them and started checking for any life signs, he knew they wouldn't be dead for too long, but there was never an accurate estimation for it. Duncan took Richie's arm and checked for a pulse, he saw Richie's eyes slowly opening and started wondering what his first reaction was going to be.  
  
"....M.....Mac, what's going on?"  
  
"Relax Richie, it's going to be okay, maybe now we'll be able to get things back to normal."  
  
Just then, Duncan felt two ice cold hands on his stomach, he looked down and found that Amber had apparently pulled herself along the floor for a few spaces to get next to him. Although Duncan was pleased to see her alive as well, he pulled her hands off of his stomach, and her short nails out of his skin.  
  
"Amber, are you allright?"  
  
"Hardly, my vision's weird, my head's pounding, and I taste a lot of blood, what happened?" Amber asked.  
  
"Amber, you were right about Tessa, she was upset and trying to tell us something, and I was eing a complete idiot," Duncan said.  
  
Amber pushed her eyelid up with her fingertips so she could see with her left eye.  
  
"What do you think I've been trying to tell you?" Amber asked.  
  
Duncan was glad she was back to her annoying self, a little too glad though, he squeezed her a little too hard when he hugged her.  
  
"Easy, EASY! It feels like someone busted my ribs," Amber told him.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I'm glad you 2 are going to be allright, you wouldn't believe what I just went through," Duncan said.  
  
"If it was with Tessa, you're right, I wouldn't believe it, if it was with Amanda in a hotel that charges by the hour, then I'll believe it," Amber said.  
  
Duncan let out a rather relieved laugh at that comment, then he took Amber's face in his hands and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek.  
  
"Yeeeeeck! Oh well, it's good to have you back, the last time I got a kiss even halfway close to that was.......I'll tell you when you're 500."  
  
Richie crawled over to his bed and picked himself up.  
  
"I'll believe that.....Amber I love you but you're staying in your own room tonight," Richie said.  
  
"Fine with me, my bed's closer to the window, a good way to get out, and we'll have to get out and early tomorrow, tomorrow Amanda's flight comes in," Amber said.  
  
Duncan slightly tensed at that, he had received a phone call earlier from Amanda saying the exact thing.  
  
"How did you know that?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Like you wouldn't know, I'm the eavesdropper in the house, goodnight..."  
  
"Well, it is getting pretty late, I think I'll turn in too," Duncan said.  
  
"Yeah, but into what?" Richie asked himself.  
  
Richie started to straighten out the mess on his bed when Amber came back in.  
  
"Oh Rich."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm ticked off."  
  
"Goodnight Amber," Richie snared.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
"And then Tessa left?" Joe asked.  
  
"Yep, and the next thing I knew, Richie and Amber were coming around and I was all over them like crazy. It IS crazy, I'm worried about those two even though they got electrocuted," Duncan said.  
  
"Well, like Tessa said, you guys are a family now, that's what families do, they worry about each other, they look after one another," Joe replied.  
  
"Yeah, they're obviously family, they've grown on me like warts," Duncan said, "that Amber, I don't understand her, she can pull off anything, why is it I can't ever stay mad at her?"  
  
"Who's to say?" Joe asked.  
  
"Yeah, look at who I'm asking, you hate her to death," Duncan said.  
  
"No such luck on that last part," Joe said, "but seriously, I think you know what the problem is."  
  
"The problem is all of a sudden, I can't lose my temper at a 16-year-old who can literally get away with murder, why is that?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Because she reminds you of Tessa, she talks like her, she acts like her, hell MacLeod, she even looks like her, but despite all this, she is completely different, she uses words none of us would even dare touch, she pulls stunts that would get her killed, she shows no respect to anyone except for you and Richie, I've got nothing else to say," Joe said.  
  
"And Methos," Duncan said under his breath.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"She's come to tolerate Methos by some means as well," Duncan said.  
  
"Well, it doesn't really bother me. Methos and I just hate each other, but if I stick around, she's going to be the end of me," Joe said.  
  
Joe left for his room, and Duncan felt the presence of someone on the staircase behind him.  
  
"What is it, Amber?"  
  
"When Tessa came here, she was angry at someone, wasn't she?" Amber asked.  
  
"Yes, she was mad at ME for not introducing her TO you," Duncan answered, "Amber, it's going on midnight, why don't you go to bed?"  
  
"I tried, I'm too anxious about tomorrow, I'm anxious to see Amanda again, it's going to be nice to have another woman in this house again, living with your 4 men is a mess," Amber said.  
  
"I'm anxious to see her too, I'm still trying to find out why she wanted us to come to Germany to see her," Duncan said.  
  
"Who knows? Women are unpredictable, as which she is no exception, but, we'll find out when we find out....I'm going to bed!"  
  
Duncan had to agree, it had been a long hectic day and he was exhausted, and come 9 hours, they were going to be getting some answers from Amanda about this ridiculous rendezvous. 


End file.
